A report co-authored by the University of Glasgow has revealed a shortage of more than 25,000 student bed spaces in Scotland.

Following this, Josh Littlejohn MBE, the founder of the charity Social Bite, has called for more support for students at risk of homelessness.

The report highlighted a "severe" student housing crisis in cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee.

Mr Littlejohn said that students from low-income backgrounds, international students, and those estranged from their families where financial support is not always possible, are most vulnerable.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, right, co-founder of Social Bite and Comfort Mensah, a student who has experienced homelessness (Image: Supplied) He said: “Rent controls should include purpose-built student accommodation, more financial support for students who are at higher risk of homelessness, such as an estranged student grant that can be paid year round and not just within term time.

"There also needs to be more guarantor services for UK national students as there is currently only one, and it is very expensive.

"International students currently have very limited rights to work making it harder for them to meet their cost of living currently.”

The Glasgow Times has previously reported on the crisis highlighting that the city already has 20,049 student beds in managed accommodation which includes purpose built student accommodation and student halls of residence.

There have been nine applications approved since January 2023 providing 3394 beds and there are another 22 live planning applications which total another 7217 student beds.

Dr James, a Research Fellow at UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence, told the Glasgow Times: “There's no guarantee that all of these developments will be delivered, of course, but if they are then Glasgow appears to be well on its way to closing the gap between demand and supply, at least in terms of numbers.

“But that's not the same as meeting students' housing needs - students require affordable housing options that meet varying needs (international students, those with families, etc).”

The National Union of Students (NUS) reported that in 2023, one in 10 students had experienced homelessness.

More than a fifth of all international students in Scotland have also faced homelessness.

Comfort Mensah, a student who has experienced homelessness (Image: Supplied) The charity's recent move into the UK higher education sector is part of a partnership with coffee supplier Matthew Algie.

This will see new cafes open in universities and colleges across the UK, with around 10 per cent of profits from coffee sales going towards Social Bite's mission to end homelessness.

Mr Littlejohn said: "Through our amazing partnership with Matthew Algie, we now have an opportunity to put Social Bite in front of thousands of young people across the country.

"Seeing Social Bite in their university or college might even encourage students to seek support for their own housing or encourage those around them to.

"By being aware of homelessness, students can begin to combat stigma in their own community."

Raj Juneja, Head of Education at Matthew Algie, said: “Social Bite’s move into the education sector is a milestone moment, and we are all proud to play a part in supporting the amazing work Social Bite does to support everybody affected by homelessness.”